The New Stack Podcast

Bob Wise, CEO of Heroku, shares insights on the transformative effect of generative AI on software development. He likens GenAI tools to adding 'infinite interns'—quickening code writing but not simplifying testing or deployment. Wise discusses Heroku's strategic shift towards automated systems and the importance of Postgres for GenAI workloads. He also highlights Heroku's migration to Kubernetes, emphasizing operational ease, much like the early successes of Kubernetes, positioning Heroku to better serve evolving developer needs.

Robin Ginn, the executive director of the OpenJS Foundation, highlights the recent surge of interest in open source after a serious security incident involving Jia Tan, a contributor who planted a backdoor vulnerability. They discuss the challenges of managing contributions in volunteer-led JavaScript communities and the crucial need for trust amid security concerns. Ginn urges corporations to financially support open source initiatives, emphasizing that without proper funding and resources, key projects may struggle to sustain themselves.

Paige Bailey, who began coding at age 9 and now leads the GenAI developer experience at Google, shares insights on the future of software development. She discusses how generative AI is democratizing coding, allowing developers to focus on creativity instead of routine tasks. Bailey also emphasizes that critical thinking and problem-solving have become more vital than traditional coding skills. She sees AI not as a replacement for developers, but as a tool to enhance their work, underlining the importance of effective application in tech.

Anne Currie, a leading expert in sustainable tech with 30 years of experience, shares her insights on building resilient software. She discusses vital concepts like energy proportionality and how increased utilization enhances efficiency. Currie emphasizes the importance of architecting systems to harness renewable energy and addresses the challenges of greenwashing in the tech industry. With practical steps and real-world examples, she illustrates how software can dynamically adapt to resource fluctuations, turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.

James Watters, senior director of R&D at VMware Tanzu, discusses the vital 'golden path' for software architects, simplifying application patterns for security teams and developers. He shares insights from Broadcom's 2024 report showing strong support for this method's consistency and security. Watters emphasizes the integration of AI to enhance user experience while maintaining operational efficiency. He advocates for minimal DIY approaches to ensure standardized, secure application management, crucial for today’s complex digital landscape.

Sarah Wells, a seasoned tech consultant with over 20 years of experience, shares her insights on microservices success. She details her time at the Financial Times, where they scaled from 12 to over 20,000 software releases by embracing automation and team autonomy. Wells emphasizes the need for effective communication and flexible architectural roles, advocating for 'engineering enablement' over rigid platform teams. Discover how organizational structures impact microservices adoption and the importance of fostering collaboration in tech teams.

In August 2023, the open source community rallied to create OpenTofu, an alternative to Terraform, after HashiCorp, now owned by IBM, adopted a restrictive Business Source License for Terraform. Ohad Maislish, co-founder and CEO of env0, explained on The New Stack Makers how this move sparked the initiative. A few hours after HashiCorp's license change, Maislish secured the domain opentf.org and began developing the new project, eventually named OpenTofu, which was donated to The Linux Foundation to ensure its license couldn't be altered.Maislish highlighted the importance of distinguishing between vendor-backed and foundation-backed open source projects to avoid sudden licensing changes. Before coding, the community created a manifesto, gathering significant support and pledges, but received no response from HashiCorp. Consequently, they proceeded with the fork and development of OpenTofu. Despite accusations of intellectual property theft from HashiCorp, OpenTofu gained traction and was adopted by organizations like Oracle. The community continues to prioritize user feedback through GitHub.Learn more from The New Stack about OpenTofu: OpenTofu vs. HashiCorp Takes Center Stage at Open Source Summit OpenTofu Amiable to a Terraform Reconciliation OpenTofu 1.6 General Availability: Open Source Infrastructure as Code Join our community of newsletter subscribers to stay on top of the news and at the top of your game.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Evan Prodromou, a pioneer in decentralized social networks and director at OpenEarth Foundation, discusses the transformative potential of the fediverse. He highlights how the shift from centralized platforms like Twitter and Facebook threatens user autonomy. Prodromou shares insights on ActivityPub, emphasizing its role in connecting diverse social networks. He explores community dynamics, the importance of personal connections, and the growing engagement from major players like Meta. Tune in to learn about the future of open-source social media!

In a recent episode of The New Stack Makers, recorded at the Open Source Summit North America, Matt Hartley, Linux support lead at Framework, discusses the importance of the "right to repair" movement. This initiative seeks to allow consumers to repair and upgrade their own electronic devices, countering the trend of disposable electronics that contribute to environmental damage. Framework, a company offering modular and customizable laptops, embodies this philosophy by enabling users to replace outdated components easily.Hartley, interviewed by Chris Pirillo, highlights how Framework’s approach helps reduce electronic waste, likening obsolete electronics to a form of "technical debt." He shares his personal struggle with old devices, like an ASUS Eee, illustrating the need for repairable technology. Hartley also describes his role in fostering a DIY community, collaborating closely with Fedora Linux maintainers and creating user-friendly support scripts. Framework’s community is actively contributing to the platform, developing new features and hardware integrations.The episode underscores the growing momentum of the right to repair movement, advocating for consumer empowerment and environmental sustainability. Learn more from The New Stack about repairing and upgrading devices: New Linux Laptops Come with Right-to-Repair and More Troubling Tech Trends: The Dark Side of CES 2024 Join our community of newsletter subscribers to stay on top of the news and at the top of your game.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blockchain technology continues to drive innovation despite declining hype, with Distributed Ledgers (DLTs) offering secure, decentralized digital asset transactions. In an On the Road episode of The New Stack Makers recorded at Open Source Summit North America, Andrew Aitken of Hedera and Dr. Leemon Baird of Swirlds Labs discussed DLTs with Alex Williams. Baird highlighted the Hashgraph Consensus Algorithm, an efficient, secure distributed consensus mechanism he created, leveraging a hashgraph data structure and gossip protocol for rapid, robust transaction sharing among network nodes. This algorithm, which has been open source under the Apache 2.0 license for nine months, aims to maintain decentralization by involving 32 global organizations in its governance. Aitken emphasized building an ecosystem of DLT contributors, adhering to open source best practices, and developing cross-chain applications and more wallets to enhance exchange capabilities. This collaborative approach seeks to ensure transparency in both governance and software development. For more insights into DLT’s 2.0 era, listen to the full episode.Learn more from The New Stack about Distributed Ledgers (DLTs) IOTA Distributed Ledger: Beyond Blockchain for Supply Chains Why I Changed My Mind About Blockchain Join our community of newsletter subscribers to stay on top of the news and at the top of your game.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.